The 55th
armored Infantry Battalion was created from part of the 55th Armored
Infantry Regiment.The regiment was
activated at Camp Polk, Louisiana on August 15, 1942 as part of the newly
formed 11th Armored Division.Colonel Virgil Bell was named regimental commander.

The
officers and enlisted cadres came from other armored divisions.Recruits began to arrive in October.Together the veterans and rookies trained
hard at Camp Polk.In June and August
of 1943 the 11th Armored Division participated in the Third Army’s
Louisiana-Texas maneuvers.Afterwards
the division moved west to Camp Barkeley, Texas.

On
September 20th the three battalions of the 55th Regiment
became independent units.The 1st
Battalion became the 63rd Armored Infantry Battalion, the 2nd Battalion became the 21st Armored Infantry Battalion and the 3rd
Battalion became the 55th Armored Infantry Battalion. Lieutenant
Colonel Fredrick K Hearn was named Commander of the 55th. Later in
the ETO the casualties suffered in combat were almost equally divided among the
three Battalions.

The
division trained at Camp Barkeley about two months then moved west again to
Camp Ibis, California for rigorous desert warfare training.In the summer of 1944 the Thunderbolts
shifted farther west to Camp Cooke, California on the Pacific Ocean.

On
September 13 and 14, 1944 the division began the long move east, boarding
trains for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.The
division did not tarry, the Army had immediate need for them in Europe.

On
September 28th the division sailed for England with 5000 aboard the U.S.S. “Hermitage” and 4800 aboard the HMS “Samaria”The troopships docked at Southampton and Liverpool. The 11th Armored troops moved inland to Camp Upton Lovell and other locations in the
County of Wiltshire.The 55th Battalion moved into Nissen huts at Tisbury.

It was
almost winter before the division was ordered to France.The 55th left Southampton with 39
officers, 3 warrant officers, and 979 enlisted men on December 15th and was ashore at Cherbourg, France the next day. The battalion was ordered to
move south and clear a large pocket of stubborn German resistance at St
Nazaire, France from where a sizeable fleet of German submarines roamed the Atlantic.

News from
the battlefront was not good on December 16th. The Germans had launched a massive surprise attack on a
50-mile front in the Ardennes Forest of BelgiumSpearheaded by armor, the German thrust drove the American front
lines back in what would be called the Battle of the Bulge.Reinforcements were desperately needed so
the 11th Armored Division was ordered on a 500-mile dash across
France to help plug the gap. The orders were to hold the Meuse River Line some
160 miles from Givet to Verdun.

The 55th
Battalion would go into battle as part of the division’s Combat Command Reserve
under Colonel Virgil Bell. On December 24th the 55th AIB
readied its equipment but took time to celebrated Christmas Day with coffee,
doughnuts, a Christmas tree, and Catholic and Protestant services.

The key to
the battle was the town of Bastogne, Belgium where the 101st
Airborne Division and other troops were surrounded but refused to
surrender.On December 26th the 4th Armored Division broke through German lines to relieve
Bastogne.The 11th AD was
ordered forward to attack the Germans and to protect the vital Bastogne-Neufchateau
Road.

On December
29th the 55th left its bivouac near Guignicourt, France
and moved to Ebly, Belgium.On December
30th it moved on to Vaux Les Rosieres, Belgium.The next day the 55th attacked
near Magerotte with the objective being the high ground near Acul.The attack succeeded and the Thunderbolts
pressed on to take Acul despite strong German resistance.

On the same
day the Germans counterattacked with four tanks and about 100 infantrymen.The battalion stood firm and the Germans retreated.The 55th had fought well in its baptism of
fire although there were heavy casualties: 27 killed, 68 wounded, and 19
missing.The battalion also lost two
halftracks and a 57mm anti-tank gun.The Germans lost an estimated 180 men and 47 enemy soldiers were taken
prisoner.

On January
1st the battalion remained in defensive positions at Acul.On January 3rd the 17th Airborne Division relieved the 55th
Battalion, which pulled back to
Magerotte.

But not allof the 55th fought at Acul. On December 31st, the First Platoon of
'A' Company of the 55th attacked the Remer Brigade on the western outskirts of
near-by Tillet. The platoon held its position on January 1st, and was shelled by
the enemy on January 2nd when it was ordered back into Tillet. The platoon was
relieved by the 17th Airborne on January 3rd, and returned to Magerotte to join
the rest of the 55th.

In recognition of its "Baptism of Fire" at Acul and Tillet, on
December 31st, the 55th was awarded the Combat Infantry Streamer.

Next, still part of CCR the battalion
was ordered to support the attack of CCA in the vicinity of Longchamps.To get into position the battalion moved to
Hermroulle, then to near Longchamps on January 13th.CCA attacked with the 55th battalion and Co A 42nd
Tk now attached. When the attack reached
Bois De Nom DE Falaize Co A and Co B were deployed abreast with Co C in
reserve. Withering artillery, mortar and small arms from well entrenched German
forces inflicted heavy casualties. 21 officers and enlisted men were killed and
78 woundedbut the Germans got the
worst of it losing 150 killed and wounded with 61 prisonerstaken. In this action Bronze Stars were
awarded to Major Hill Blalock, Battalion Executive Officer. Capt Charles
Houy,CO Co A, Capt George
Reimer, CO Co B, T/Sgt Robert Phillips Co B, S/Sgt Douglas Sammak, Co A, Sgt Anibal Fernandez, Co B, S/Sgt William McNulty and two
attached Medics Pfc Raymond Rigsbyand Pfc Ray McBen.

The next
day the battalion improved its defensive positions and patrolled the woods to
complete the destruction of enemy forces.That afternoon the 55thunder
TF Stubbs was ordered forward to seize the high ground near Bertogne.The Germans halted the attack 1,000 yards
short of the objective, which the battalion seized early the next day. The 55th pursued the Germans through Compogne and on order assembled in the vicinity of
Mabombre.

On January
17th the battalion, again under CCR, moved from Mabompre to near
Cobru, Belgium, under orders to relieve the 502nd Parachute Regiment
of the 101st Airborne Division.The battalion was also to establish a defensive position from Hardingy
to Bourcy. The period January 18-25 was used to make improvements in defensive
positions, maintain liaison with adjacent units to the north and south, retain contact
with enemy forces to the east, and integrate 149 reinforcements most fresh from
the States with a minimum of training

The
battalion spent the rest of January patrolling and improving defensive
positions around Magerotte.Another 106
reinforcements arrived to bring thebattalion strengthto 33
Officers and 1042 Enlisted MenWeapons
and vehicles were repaired and tested. Combat Infantry Badges and Purple Hearts
were awarded onJanuary 26th by the Battalion
Commander Hearn and on January 27th Commanding General Kilburn awarded Silver
and Bronze Stars.

In early
February the battalion trained in the field.Emphasis was placed on tank-infantry coordination.Having lost the Battle of the Bulge, German forces
had retreated eastward behind the Westwall; a massive belt of pillboxes,
bunkers, and other defensive positions the Americans and British dubbed the
“Siegfried Line”.As part of CCR the 55th
moved out on February 4 to attack the Line. Overcoming German forces at
Heckhuscheid and Burg-Lutzkampen where they were hard hit by artillery ,
mortar, and small arms fire the battalion arrived at Berg, Germany at 0530
February 18th.

The63rd AIB and the 55th swept
forward through “dragon’s teeth” concrete obstacles, destroying or neutralizing
19 pillboxes supported by tanks of B Co 22nd Tank Battalion. After
seizing Leidenborn, the battalion was given the mission of taking Herzfeld,
Germany. After destroying or neutralizing 23 pillboxes, the entire area was
swept clean of German resistance

On February
21st the battalion was ordered to capture Roschied and clear all
nearby pillboxes. In orderto
accomplish the Division objective of capturing Reiff, Germany the town Eschfeld
and the high ground surrounding it had to be taken. The 55th accomplished this mission by 1000 on February 22 with a minimum of casualties
allowing the 63rd AIB to proceed with their objective of securing Reiff. 74 German prisoners were taken in
Reiff. According to Rog Mockford of the
2nd Squad of the 2nd Platoon, they had “captured prisoners who had been seeking
shelter in the hay in a barn.There was
6 to 8 inches of snow all around.All
of the prisoners claimed to be a ‘Pollock’ drafted into service by the
Germans.We did not want them digging
around in the hay looking for their shoes so we marched them back to town and
headquarters without their shoes.The
Battalion Officer was very upset with us for marching prisoners bare footed
through the snow so he made us march them back again to get their shoes!”

On February 23rd the
battalion was moved back to nearby positions in Sevenig, Eschfeld, Herzfeld,
and Lutzkampen. 160 reinforcements were received on Feb 23rd and 26thFive men were killed and 93 were wounded in
the assault on the Siegfried Line.One
man was reported missing.The battalion
also captured 187 German soldiers and killed or wounded an estimated 185
Germans.

March 1st
the battalion as a component of CCB departed the billet area of Berg-Reuland,
Belgium
and marched mounted to an assembly area 3 miles northwest of Prum, Germany. Task
Force Chico was formed under the command of Lt Col Hearn for an attack on Prum
and after crossing the Prum River taking the town of Dausfeld with the final objective
of seizing and holding Lissingen, Germany. Chico was formed with the 55thAIB
and companies or platoons of the 22nd Tank, 705th Tank Destroyer, 56th
Engineers, 1 155mm SP Gun, and 575th AAA . A formidable force for
sure! Enemy resistance varied from light to bitter during this period. The
weather was cold and snowy taking its toll on the men and equipment. Casualties
for the battalion March 1-10 were 26 killed, 88 wounded, and 16 missing. Enemy
losses were considerably higher.

Task Force
Chico left defensive positions near Weinsheim on March 4th and moved to the high ground west of the
Kyll River.The weather was cold and
snowy but the Thunderbolts rolled vigorously against determined resistance to
near Budesheim where it was relieved by elements of the 4th Infantry
Division. On March 6th attacking northwest the unit took Neider
Bettingen and threw a bridegehead over the Kyll River.The doughs were rakedby murderous enemy fire and met bitter
resistance as theywaded across the
shallow river and dug in to hold its shallow bridgehead. Elements of the 4th Infantryaccomplished relief of the
battalion by 1630 and our troops were drawn back into Neider Bettingen for the
night.

On March 7th
the battalion headed for the Rhine via Kalenborn-Budesheim-Lissingen to the
Kyll River crossing at Gerolstein. Attacking through the 90th Infantry Division bridgehead at the battalion advanced through Pelm, Kelberg,
Hirten, Weyberg, Wehr, Glees, Burgbrohl and thence to Neider Lutzingen.Neider Lutzingen overlooked the town of
Brohl on the Rhine.The Thunderbolts
also took Brohl, where the Germans had been escaping across the river on
ferryboats.Many did not make it to the
river; the battalion alone bagged 508 prisoners.

Meanwhile,
the division was ordered to turn south and cross the Moselle River and reach
the Rhine again, upstream at historic Worms.TheFirst and Third Armies were
to join at Wormstrapping large numbers
of Germans troops still west of the river. Eager to surrender, thousands of German
soldiers waited by muddy roadsides.Their weapons were thrown down; their hands were up.“This
was something new to the men,” a battalion veteran recalled.“Never
before had they experienced the feeling of such a grand superiority in
strength.They had read about our mad
dashes through France in the summer of 1944; they were living them now.

The
drive which began on March 7th linked the 11th Armored
Division of Patton’s Third Army with the First Army at Worms trapping6 German Divisions west of the Rhine. The 55th
was credited with capturing 1460 Germans and 393 killed or wounded before
crossing the Rhine River. Crossing the Moselle River at Bullay the battalion
marched mounted 35 miles to Hahn closing at 1530 on March 18th. Casualties
were light as the Combat Commands moved rapidly against light
resistance capturing hundreds of prisoners. Many towns and villages such as
Gangloff, Breitenheim, Rockenhausen, Oberndorf, Wurzweiler, Insweiler, Langmeil,
Imsbach,and Darmstadt were taken. The batallion crossed the Rhine by pontoon
bridge at 1530 on March 29th at Nierstein after a 67 mile march
mounted from Kircheim-Bolanden.

On April
1st the battalion was part of CCR as the division attacked toward
Fulda with combat commands abreast.The
battalion was given the mission of clearing the woods northeast ofUterweid and setting up defensive positions
for the night on the high ground northeast of town. The men also evacuated
Allied prisoners liberated by CCA at Grimmenthal.

On April 4th the battalion rolled through
Steinbach-Hallenburg to Schmalkalden and west to the Werra River. Two task
forces were formed into tank-infantry teams under command of Lt Col Hearn and
Lt Col Wingard with the mission of capturing Zella Mehlis, home of the Walthar
Small Arms Co, Meiningen, and surrounding towns.With that accomplished, the Thunderbolts cleared extensive
roadblocks and numerous small pockets of resistance in the area for the next
several days.

On April 10
the division was ordered to renew the attack to the southeast to capture Coburg
and Neustadt. Enroute, the 55th battalion as part of Task Force
Hearn captured Rodach, Einberg, and Kronach, and GesthunghausenEnemy resistance was quite strong at
Gesthunghausen. Another task force under command of Major Hill Blalock,
battalion executive officer, secured Weisenbrunn,Hills 410 and 513, and high ground east of Kronach.The battalion also captured Kulmbach
without resistance on a square-mile ammunition dump containing large amounts of
chemical weapons. Co A and Co C with attached machine gun and mortar platoons
seized the dump which also
contained large quantities of artillery ammunition.

Two days
later the battalion was on the road again headed for Weiden, Namburg, and
Pfremid, where a large force of over 500 Hungarian soldiers surrendered.Later, at Nieder Murrach, the battalion
built a compound to house the growing numbers ofprisoners.By the time
the 55th reached Cham, it had captured an additional 150 prisoners.

On April 24th
the battalion left Cham, moving behind TF Wingard to near Viechtach. Serving as
a reserve task force for CCA it reached Grafenau on April 25th and
Furholz the next day.An estimated 210
enemy prisoners were taken.

On April 29th
the battalion was still at Furholz probing for suitable routes to the southeast
whilethe division headquarters
remained in Freyung.When headquarters
was threatened by enemy forces from the north, a task force of infantry, tanks,
and artillery under the command of Major Hill Blalock was dispatched quickly to
Kreuzberg. This taskforce was relieved
by elements of CCR at 1800 and it proceeded to Wollaberg.

The
battalion left Furholz on April 30thas the leading unit for CCA and moved through Waldkirchen,
Stubhauser, and Kashburg to Wegscheid, where the Germans fought stubbornly. The
town was finally cleared and a defensive perimeter set up by 2300 hours. Our
losses- 1 EM killed, 1 Officer and 9 EM wounded, and 5 medium tanks lost. Estimated
enemy losses-74 killed and 84 PWs taken.

The next
day the battalion crossed the border into Austria at Kramerschlag. A well
defended road block slowed entrance into Peilstein4 EM were killed and 8 wounded by this stubborn but futile German
resistance. Advancing through Rohrbach, Neufelden, Bauer, Rotten Egg, Walding,
and Reichenau continued resistance was encounteredThe City of Linz, Austria surrendered to Task Force Wingard on
May 5th. On this same date a unit of the 41st Cav
liberated Mauthausen and Gusen Concentration Camps. The battalion was in
Reichenau, Austria when the war in Europe ended on May 8th. During
World War II the 55th battalion lost 121 men killed, 575 wounded,
and an unknown number captured, missing in action, and evacuated for various
reasons.